Reminiscence Therapy is a powerful tool which promotes engagement, ignites feelings of purpose, reduces loneliness, and increases emotional wellbeing. LifeBio offers a wide array of options for individuals as well as communities to connect through the power of personal story sharing. From journals, to personal biographers, to an online platform, LifeBio helps people build relationships through life stories. It is our mission to improve life and the quality of care by sharing what matters most!

Monday, November 24, 2014

One of the very best gifts you can give a parent or grandparent for the holidays is a Memory Journal. After all, there is no one else like your mother, father, grandfather, or grandmother.

It's important that the Memory Journal you pick has the right kinds of questions to bring out the best in your loved one. The stories that are gathered should cover family history, key family members, historical events, childhood memories, teen and adulthood experiences, military service, work, love, marriage, children, grandchildren, lessons from life, and so much more.

Would you like to capture your own experiences, family stories, and values for your children and grandchildren?

Would you like to take conversation to a whole new level when you visit a loved one?

Would you like to give the perfect GIFT to the parent or grandparent who has everything but he or she hasn't written an autobiography yet?

"The Memory Journal is the only thing that’s bridged the gap between me and my dad in the past 20 years. I never knew how alike we are. It’s the only peaceful conversation we’ve ever had. We’re doing it slowly about 30 minutes of questions every time we get together."

#1 - The Memory Journal is designed to help people of different ages, genders, and backgrounds record their autobiographies or the biographies of a loved one. This book works for parents, grandparents, or singles. If there are a few questions that don't apply, these can easily be left blank.

#2 - The Memory Journal contains 250+ life story questions and ample space to fill-in-the-blanks with your answers. Special care was taken to keep the questions in a logical and easy-to-use format. Topics covered include:

Family History

Mother

Father

Grandparents

Brothers and Sisters

Other Relatives

Historical Events

Growing Up

Childhood and Teen

Favorites Family Fun, Vacations, Celebrations

Place of Worship and Faith

Elementary School Years

Junior High/High School

Military Service

Advanced Training and College

Jobs and Careers

Love

Marriage

Home

Children and Parenthood

Grandchildren and Becoming a Grandparent

Everyday Moments

Pets

Family Stories and Heirlooms

Beliefs

Opinions and Tough Questions

Life Lessons Through the Years

The Future

#3 - The Memory Journal's questions match the ordering of questions at www.LifeBio.com. That means that you or your family could decide to transfer answers from the book to the web to make multiple copies of the story for family and friends, now or in the future!

#4 - Perfect for the person who would rather write than type (or for people without a computer).

#5 - Take it anywhere--no computer with internet access required.

(Ideally, you as family can then type the memories into www.lifebio.com IF you choose to do so later. LifeBio.com and the Memory Journal's questions match for easy transfer later.)

#6 - The LifeBio Memory Journal also works well as a first draft. Ideas from the LifeBio Memory Journal can be transferred to an online www.lifebio.com and, finally, into a printed, leather-bound LifeBio Legacy Book when the story is complete.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

There is no one else like YOU. It's certainly not as difficult as you might think to write an autobiography. In fact, it can be a matter of just answering a few questions. Sometimes, even if you're planning a whole book, it may be just good to start simple with the basics of your life history. Maybe you're just interested in sharing your life story with your children and grandchildren.

1. Set a goal for completion. Life is busy and complicated, and you may find yourself putting it off. Set your goal to be an upcoming holiday, or the end of the year. You'll find that a deadline helps keep you motivated.

2. Decide the template you want. There are so many ways you can put your life story together. Decide on a set of questions to use, or just go chronologically. You may want to know more about how LifeBio works.

3. Find a friend you can share the process with. Having a friend or a group of people to complete your life stories with can make the process more enjoyable. It's fun to share what you've written, and to learn about your friend's lives.

4. Look at photo albums. Pictures can be a great way to remember some of your favorite stories. We tend to take pictures of what we love the most. Jot down some memories that come to mind from the photos you look at.

5. Make a list of your favorite memories. You've done so much in your life. It's probably too much to write in one book. Write down your favorite things that you've done. Call some family members and ask them what they'd like to know.

6. Answer a question a day. Making an autobiography can be a daunting task. Just write one answer for the day. When you're done, read over the questions for the next day and take awhile to ponder over it.

7. Do the best you can. Don't let one question trip you up. You can skip over it, or you can avoid it completely if you don't want to talk about it. Just keep going until you complete it. It'll be worth it!

Lifebio.com has web memberships, an app, and journals that can make this process so much easier. It greatly simplifies making your autobiography, freeing you up to think about your memories! Check it out! Call 1-866-LIFEBIO or 937-303-4576 or email info@lifebio.com if we can assist you in any way.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Autobiographies are not just for the rich and famous. No, today, anyone can create a short and simple biography or a more long and detailed biography. It's as simple as following an autobiography template. Since there is no one else like YOU, it is certainly something you should do while you have the chance. You may also be thinking about a parent or grandparent who has memories from the past to share.

It's fascinating to me that some of the very best autobiography entries in LifeBio are just normal details from life that are being shared with present and future generations. Here are a few examples of things people write that their family members will enjoy reading. Truly priceless memories -- that can only be shared by this one unique person in history!

What is your earliest memory?
My earliest memory was when I was five years old. I remember we lived in a big, white house in Vermillion, South Dakota. My dad had a gas station about a block away from our house, and my school was also about a block away from my house. I remember that, when I would walk to school and I was in kindergarten, I had a collie dog named Shep. He would walk me to school every day. At the end of school, he would be waiting for me and would walk me home. -- Mary Rose

What are your favorite family stories?
Grandma once told me about her mother. Her mother, as a teenager, was sitting in a one horse open sleigh and there were two boys on either side of her in the sleigh. She had her hands in a furry round muff to keep them warm. Both boys thought they were holding her hand inside the muff, but it turned out that they were holding each others' hands! They were so embarraswww.lifebio.comsed. -- Beth (that's me!)

Here are some other autobiography examples that are available to see on www.lifebio.com's website. https://www.lifebio.com/Home/Autobiography-Examples See the example of a rocket scientist and another example of a granddaughter who interviewed her grandmother. Please note that LifeBio pulls together the whole story with the push of a button. Just answer the questions and press the button and watch your autobiography or the biography of a loved one unfold before your eyes. Then just print it out! At some point, you may even want to order a Legacy Book (see the photo in this blog post to see what these look like). These leather-bound books pull together everything that has been typed online and all photos too...it's like a photo book but with MUCH, MUCH more life story data. LifeBio makes it easy.

LifeBio keeps information private and secure so we're only able to share a few biography examples -- as the stories are shared typically only with close family and friends when completed.

Would you like to tell your story? Learn more about how to start your own autobiography (it's as easy as answering the template questions). One question a day and you'll build it in no time. You can also use LifeBio to interview a loved one.

Need help with your biography or autobiography? Just give us a call or email!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Are you considering writing a biography? If sometimes people tell you, "you should write a book" then it's probably true. You SHOULD write a book. Most people don't know where to start, but they do definitely have something to say. So where to begin?

I usually recommend starting with the people in your life. Describe your parents and your grandparents. Remind yourself of the fun things you and your siblings did as children. Remember your favorite aunts and uncles and maybe even a few that weren't your favorites.

Next, I think it is interesting to go back in time in your mind to childhood and your teenage years. What were your favorites back then? What was a summer day like? Who was your best friend and what adventures did you have? And that's just the beginning. The younger generations in your family will find this information fascinating -- impress your kids and grandkids by the simple but fun ways you spent your time as a child.

The adulthood years make for a roller coaster ride of a life story sometimes. It boggles my mind the things that people live through and somehow survive. Talk about your jobs through

the years or how you met your spouse. Cover the tons of memories you have of time spent with your children and then your grandchildren. And that's just the beginning....

Finally, get into the deeper beliefs, values, and life lessons that have made you who you are today. Life is not easy, but it is also full of incredible joy too at times. So balance it out. Share the good times and the bad times. Express your hopes and wishes for the next generation. Most of all, tell them you love them. That's what they want to have recorded for all time.

If you need any assistance with writing your own life story or interviewing a loved one with an organized web template of biography questions (based on what was outlined above), please visit www.lifebio.com. The website has memberships for building your biography, but there is also the Memory Journal if you'd rather write than type your life story.

Don't delay or the priceless gift of life stories could be lost or forgotten---don't you wish you had the life story written of some of your relatives from 50 years ago or 100 years ago or 200 years ago?!

It all starts with YOUR story and your family stories. Now is the day to begin!

About the Author

Lisbeth “Beth” Sanders earned her BA in English and journalism from Otterbein College, and she is pursuing her Masters in Gerontology. She is the founder of LifeBio, a company specializing in Reminiscence Therapy (RT) and the sharing of life stories via journaling, interviews with personal biographers, and an online platform, www.LifeBio.com. LifeBio presently works with over 100 senior living/health care facilities across the nation. Based on her unique perspective, Beth will guide you through the use of Reminiscence Therapy (RT) and story telling as a method of engaging with your residents in a wholly new way. A resident of Marysville, Ohio, Beth is married, has two children, and is a novice (albeit enthusiastic!) stand up paddle boarder.